Feline Urological Syndrome (FUS)

FUS is a disease of which all cat owners should be aware. FUS is NOT a specific diagnosis: there are many known and some unknown factors that may cause or contribute to FUS. Any cause resulting in particulate debris in the urine is capable of causing obstruction in the male cat.

Males are much more likely to get this disease than females. There is no known means of prevention. Treatment can vary from diet to surgery. Cats usually recover if the disease is caught in time; often the cat must be watched for any recurrence of FUS.

If your cat feels like he/she needs to urinate frequently, but does not produce much urine, this is a possible symptom of early cystitis, and you should IMMEDIATELY take your kitty to the veterinarian.

FUS, or Feline Urological Syndrome refers to problems associated with the cat's bladder and urethra in particular. The urethra is the tube carrying urine from the bladder to the outside. Affected cats feel the irritation in their urinary tract and have an urge to urinate (cystitis). Cats suffering from FUS/FLUTD try to urinate more often than normal, often crying out whilst doing so.

This problem is primarily seen in neutered males and cats with an alkaline urine. Neutered males tend to have the most problems. The whole problem arisen with the advent of the commercial cat foods containing less animal products and more plant products. The normal carnivores' diet produces an acid urine and the wild and ancestral cats were not neutered.

FUS, or Feline Urological Syndrome refers to problems associated with the cat's bladder and urethra in particular. The urethra is the tube carrying urine from the bladder to the outside.

It can happened that your cat will develop crystals in urine which look very similar to salt granules. The most common type of crystal is made up of calcium and phosphorous and is called Struvite. Struvite crystals will appear in alkaline (high pH) urine, and dissolve like sugar in a cup of tea if the urine is acid (low pH). The crystals are very sharp and irritate the lining of the urinary bladder and tubing that carries the urine out of the body (urethra). Cystitis is inflammation of the walls of the bladder and stones are accumulations of mineral crystals. The most common crystals are those of magnesium ammonium phosphate, known as sturvite. Others might be calcium oxalate crystals.

If your cat has FUS and it is not treated, complete blockage will happen when the attack reaches the acute stage, when the cat's bladder becomes painfully distended with urine still being produced by the kidneys.

Uremic Poisoning, which is the accumulation of poisonous wastes in the blood stream caused by the inability of the kidneys to eliminate poisonous wastes from the body, can cause permanent damage to the bladder and will also cause death if not immediately treated by a professional, skilled veterinarian. Uremic Poisoning, which is the accumulation of poisonous wastes in the blood stream caused by the inability of the kidneys to eliminate poisonous wastes from the body, can cause permanent damage to the bladder and will also cause death if not immediately treated.

So since the moment of diagnosis you can't waste a minute to save your cat's life. Many sources state that you only have 72 hours before the bladder ruptures and the cat dies!

Symptoms of obstruction are much more intense than those of bladder inflammation alone; this is an emergency requiring immediate steps to relieve the obstruction. Symptoms include: frequent non-producing straining-no urine produced, discomfort, pain, howling.

Treatment

Urine samples are examined to determine the exact nature of the crystals. The cat is placed on antibiotics to lessen the annoyance and special diets to soften the crystals by changing the urine pH. Blocked cats need surgery to relieve the pressure on the kidneys.

If a cat s in serious trouble, a vet may place a large needle directly into the bladder to suction out as much urine as possible, thus removing the back pressure on the kidneys and it delays surgery. Once stabilised, the cat is anaesthetised and a smooth urinary catheter passed into the tip of the penis in an attempt to flush the blocked crystal backwards into the bladder and the bladder is emptied.

Prevention

It involves having males neutered after they have reached the adult size and avoiding water and foods with high mineral (ash) contents. Some rural water supplies for drinking and crop production contain high levels of the offending minerals that can lead to these problem.

Poor quality dry cat foods, which contain low amounts of animal products and large amounts of plant products, fed over extended lengths of time, may also contribute to this problem as the urine becomes less acidic. A lack of sufficient good quality drinking water may contribute with the cat not drinking enough to flush out any offending crystals and the water may in fact be high in minerals prone to crystallization.

Known causes of FUS

Struvite crystals accompanied by red blood cells-generally caused by a diet too high in magnesium relative to the pH of the urine. The ability of a given diet to cause problems in an individual cat is highly variable: only those cats with a history of this kind of FUS may respond well to strictly dietary management. Many cats do not have problems with a diet that may produce FUS in some individuals.

Bladder stones, may occur from struvite crystals, or be secondary to bladder infections. There are metabolic disorders (not all are understood) that result in a higher concentration of a given mineral that can remain in solution; hence, stones are formed. Diet may greatly modify the concentration of a given mineral in solution in the urine. Water intake may modify the concentration of all minerals in the urine and bacterial infection increases the risk of stone formation.

Trauma.

Neurolgenic problems affecting the act of urination (difficult to diagnose except at institutions capable of urethral pressure profiles):
Primary bacterial infection - RARE!

Tumors (benign/malignant).

Protein matrix plug (generally urethral obstruction of males); can be from non-mineral protein debris, viral-based, other causes are unknown.

Suspected or unknown factors include non-bacterial infections, toxins, stress, and seasonal influences.

Lethargy, anorexia and vomiting suggest azotemia in cats with FUS. Clinicopathologic findings may include azotemia, hyperphosphatemia, hyperglycemia, hyperkalemia, and signs of urinary tract inflammation on urinalysis. Treatment of FUS depends on the degree of illness but generally includes removal of the urethral obstruction, bladder lavage, fluid and antibiotic therapy, and subsequent feeding of a canned, low-Mg diet with added table salt.